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Medical deal brings hundreds of new jobs

Hundreds of jobs will be created in King’s Lynn over the next few years after Consort Medical plc company Bespak was chosen to manufacture a dry powder inhaler for a global pharmaceutical company.

Consort Medical chief executive Jonathan Glenn revealed that a major new facility is being built at Bespak’s King’s Lynn site to facilitate the multi-year contract.

And he hailed the deal as a triumph for the quality of East of England and UK manufacturing.

The further dedicated building at the King's Lynn site will accommodate the additional moulding and assembly capacity to produce the contracted volumes.

Revenues from the contract will be dependent on sales following regulatory approval and launch of any products utilising the device. The programme is referenced on Consort's development pipeline as DEV610 and its initial launch is expected in 2015.

Glenn said: “The identity of the pharma client has to remain confidential at this time but it’s fabulous news for us as a company and also the people and economy of King’s Lynn.

“This major contract further leverages our operational and regulatory expertise in the production of high volume, premium quality drug delivery devices. This represents a further execution of our strategy for organic growth.

“The world around us has changed and we have had to adapt accordingly. The new strategy is paying dividends.

“This is a significant new building, not just another facility to house 10 people. It will have substantial capacity and it means hundreds of extra jobs in the next few years – not high hundreds but still a significant increase in headcount.

“I am thrilled for another reason. I get frustrated when I hear people saying that manufacturing in Britain is dead and that we are uncompetitive. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“Manufacturing in King’s Lynn, in the region and in the UK generally is in good health. As an industry, we are winning contracts back from China, we are investing in new facilities and creating extra jobs.

“Because we are so highly regulated this superior, regulated quality control has given out company a real USP in the global manufacturing world. And we have demonstrated that we can beat the world from our base in King’s Lynn. That’s why we have never moved.

“Everything we need to succeed is right here on our doorstep and has been built up over the last 10 years. The future is looking extremely positive.”